Just Joking - Softcover

Grade 4-7–Australian author Andy Griffiths has masterfully written this very humorous piece, read by Stig Wemyss. Griffiths, whose story is told in first person, chronicles a series of practical jokes, including episodes that involve fake vomit, dog poo, and bananas, among other things. In one story, Griffith tells of delivering a Gorilla-gram and, while dressed as a gorilla, stopping to observe restaurant goers, mocking them much like people do with gorillas in a zoo. He not only mimics their actions, he "moons" them when he is shooed away, carrying his gorilla antics a bit too far. The police show up, believing that he is a real gorilla, and attempt to subdue him and return him to the zoo. Most of Griffith's antics backfire on him, and the anticipation is appropriately written into the story. The decidedly Australian flair in both the writing and reading of this title adds to the sense of adventure. Music and sound effects are sprinkled throughout. This book will be prankster heaven for upper elementary and middle school students, particularly boys. Just plain fun, it is a worthy addition to audio collections, and may be enough to encourage reluctant readers to check out other titles by the author.–Kirsten Martindale, formerly Menomonie Public Library, WI
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